Brower's Spring is a spring in the

Centennial Mountains The Centennial Mountains are the southernmost sub-range of the Bitterroot Range in the U.S. states of Idaho and Montana. The Centennial Mountains include the Western and Eastern Centennial Mountains. The range extends east from Monida Pass alon ...

of Beaverhead County,

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Colu ...

that was marked by a surveyor in 1888 as the ultimate headwaters of the Missouri River and thus the fourth longest river in the world, the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Missis ...

-Missouri River. The spring is named for Jacob V. Brower who in 1896 declared it to be the source of the Missouri in his book published by the Pioneer Press titled ''The Missouri river and its utmost source''. He visited the site in 1895 and buried a copper plate upon which the name of the river and the date were engraved. The spring is further than the spot

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

reported in 1805 as the source of the river above

Lemhi Pass Lemhi Pass is a high mountain pass in the Beaverhead Mountains, part of the Bitterroot Range in the Rocky Mountains and within Salmon-Challis National Forest. The pass lies on the Montana-Idaho border on the continental divide, at an elevation ...

on Trail Creek. Both sources are near the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, n ...

in Montana. It is upstream from where the name "Missouri River" is first used. Though the copper plate has not been located, the site of Brower's Spring is believed to be at about on the north fork of where

Hell Roaring Creek Hell Roaring Creek is a fast-running creek in southern Montana. The creek flows from Brower's Spring, which is considered the ultimate source of the Missouri River.Demetriades , Anthony (July/August 2005"The True Utmost Reaches of the Missouri" ...

divides near its source. It is commemorated by a rock pile. Hell Roaring Creek flows west into the Red Rock River, which flows through Upper, then Lower Red Rock Lakes, west through Lima Reservoir, and then northwest into Clark Canyon Reservoir. From Clark Canyon Reservoir the

Beaverhead River The Beaverhead River is an approximately tributary of the Jefferson River in southwest Montana (east of the Continental Divide). It drains an area of roughly . The river's original headwaters, formed by the confluence of the Red Rock River and ...

flows northeast to join the

Big Hole River The Big Hole River is a tributary of the Jefferson River, approximately long, in Beaverhead County, in southwestern Montana, United States. It is the last habitat in the contiguous United States for native fluvial Arctic grayling and is a h ...

, forming the

Jefferson River The Jefferson River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the U.S. state of Montana. The Jefferson River and the Madison River form the official beginning of the Missouri at Missouri Headwaters State Park near Three Fo ...

, which with the Madison and Gallatin Rivers form the Missouri at Missouri River Headwaters State Park at

Three Forks, Montana Three Forks is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States and is located within the watershed valley system of both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers drainage basins — and is historically considered the birthplace or start of the M ...

. Brower's location is just below a ridge extending to the southeast from Mt. Jefferson to the northwest, and is southwest of the

Sawtell Peak Sawtell Peak, also spelled Sawtelle Peak is a mountain in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located in the eastern portion of the Centennial Mountains. Sawtell Peak is located in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest roughly east of Idaho's border w ...

Observatory in Idaho, about southwest of

West Yellowstone, Montana West Yellowstone is a town in Gallatin County, Montana, United States, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. West Yellowstone is served by Yellowstone Airport. It is part of the Bozeman, MT Micropol ...

, and about southwest of the nearest point on the North American

. Brower's Spring is not listed as an official name on the Geographic Names Information System maintained by

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

References

{{Montana Landforms of Beaverhead County, Montana Springs of Montana Missouri River Tributaries of the Beaverhead River